Large concrete planter value $$$

[Mucky_Waters]

I thought I'd post this here as many of you are plant people. Most of the other forums I belong to have very few plant people in them.
I finally got around to a project I've been thinking about for over a year.
My wife has purchased a few planters for growing flowers and stuff in. A few times she looked at some very large planters but the sticker price was always enough to prevent us from getting those larger ones, plus I always felt that I could make large concrete one myself fairly inexpensively,,, IF,,,, I built a proper form. Well, I finally got around to it and bellow is a picture of the first one out of the form. I have another one in sitting in the form, and since I have the form I plan on making a few more perhaps to sell and recoup some of my time and expenses.
The question is, what would be a fair price to ask for one of these? (the size is about 28" x 28" (at the top) X 36" high, and the weight is around 300 lbs.
Oh, and by the way, I am not trying to sell them to anyone here, the practicality of shipping them anywhere would be completely prohibitive, they are extremely heavy. I'd just like to know if anyone has ever purchased something similar. All the large planters we looked at were very different, being plastic or clay planters, often painted or decorated, so I don't know if that makes they worth more, or less?? I really don't know.

 

[Nepen]

wow neat! how did you make it? I've thought of making them myself but thought about clay but it'd break so i scratch the idea.

 

[tbendl]

Wow Mucky Waters it's impressive. Do you have a picture of the form. I'd be curious to know what it took to make this as I would love to do something similar. Very nicely done.

 

[Big Lou]

Due to its weight your attractive contemporary pot's retail value is minimal to zero. Conversely, when built on site $150 to $500 depending on size and finish. Structural durability is a most. Very inventive.

 

[j.w]

Very nice Mucky. Guess you would have to deliver them or build them on site somehow.

 

[Mucky_Waters]

Wow Mucky Waters it's impressive. Do you have a picture of the form. I'd be curious to know what it took to make this as I would love to do something similar. Very nicely done.

Below is a picture of the form mold filled with concrete. The inside mold is one piece that forms the inside of the planter and is pulled out of the mold once the concrete has set. The outside mold is screwed together at the corners and bottom. There is a 2" hole in the bottom center of the forms with a pvc pipe inserted in the hole that holds the forms centered and creates a drain hole in the final product. I have poly (plastic) barrier between the forms and the actual concrete to protect the form and allow everything to come apart easier.
The outside mold comes apart easy, but the inside mold was a little harder to pull out then I had anticipated, but I came up with a method for pulling it out which makes it easy, by building a support scaffold that rest on the outer form and has a beam I can hang a block and tackle from and use to pull the inner form out.

I decided to try a search for the heck of it, and the only planter that I came up with that looked like mine (when it comes out of the mold) and was about the same size and weight I found on this page http://massifconcrete.com/concrete-planter-austin/ under the tall tapered section. A picture of theirs. Their's is slightly smaller and lighter(20"x20"X36"), but I am encouraged by the price, slightly more then Lou's guess.
The one in my first picture has a coat of adobe style acrylic stucco to match the adobe walls in the courtyard.

 

[tbendl]

Wow Mucky Waters that definitely took some work and a lot of attention to detail. Very nicely done.

 

[Mmathis]

You could whip finely chopped foam bits in with the concrete to help reduce the weight -- at least I've heard you can do that. I watched a video once where (using a portable cement mixer) they very quickly added something similar to Great Stuff that mixed in with the cement mix -- that was cool!

But you weren't asking for ways to reduce weight...... I have no clue regarding price, as it's not something I'd shop for, but judging by other things I've priced recently, I'd say the $300-$500 range sounds about right.

Nice work, BTW. How long does a piece like that have to cure?

 

[addy1]

Very nice! Great job, I bet you could find some buyers.

 

[RobAmy]

I do not think that is the North side Nice work. I can see a market for them.

 

[Big Lou]

Great form. I'm happy to be low since it's better for you!
Found these planters made from lighter weight fiber cement. Maybe this type of cement is available.

http://www.innergardens.com/product/new_collections/Fiber_Cement/FC-AP

 

[Tula]

I have a friend who sold some nice planters ( wooden) he made to out door dining establishments.....he was paid quite handsomely for them

 

[Fishylove]

Mucky I learned how to make a type of pots called hypertufa this summer, it's like having concreate but way lighter. And I'm sure that once it cures, you could stucco them too. Check out this website and see what you think

http://www.marthastewart.com/268091/pots-with-a-personal-touch-hypertufa?page=2

 

[Lisak1]

I was going to suggest hypertufa as well - same look but very light. It's beautiful, by the way!

 

[Mmathis]

I was going to suggest hypertufa as well - same look but very light. It's beautiful, by the way!

But what about long-term durability compared to just concrete?